84th Annual Convention

We are excited for the upcoming Wisconsin Society for Ornithology 84th Annual Convention, hosted in our beautiful state capital. This gathering is an opportunity for bird enthusiasts to come together and celebrate our shared passion for enjoying, studying, and conserving birds.

Click below to register, or download the registration form and mail it to Wisconsin Society for Ornithology P.O. Box 2, Grafton, WI 53024.

The Value of Attending

Participating in our 84th Annual Convention offers a unique blend of educational experiences, opportunities for social connection, and meaningful conservation action. Attendees range from novice to expert birders and festival volunteers to presenters and field trip guides. Most importantly, you’ll have the chance to meet fellow bird lovers from all over connections that might not happen without this special event.

Discover Madison’s Birding Opportunities

This conference will give you time to explore the Madison area and discover all it has to offer for birding. You might pick up tips on spotting rare birds nearby or simply receive friendly support from fellow enthusiasts. Surrounded by others, you may find yourself inspired to try wildlife photography and eager to improve your skills with a digital camera.

Field Trips and Skill Building

Our field trips are designed to help you experience new birding locations and learn fascinating details about the birds that inhabit the hot spots selected for the convention. These expert-led walks can help you hone your birding abilities, spot new “lifer” species, and join a community that shares your enthusiasm and passion. We are trying something new by hosting a free family field trip designed to encourage some new birders.

Wellness Through Birding

Birding not only brings enjoyment but also promotes well-being. Spending time in nature is known to support mental health, and birdwatching serves as a great motivator to get outdoors in any season.

Supporting Local Economies

By attending the convention, you support both local economies and your presence helps make a positive impact in the community and the environment. We’ll provide cards for you to give businesses in Madison, letting them know you’re visiting for birdwatching and letting them know you care about the conservation of birds and their habitats. Everyone comes to appreciate the natural world in their own way. You can help show local business people that preserving bird habitats truly pays off.

More About Convention Activities

The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology is primarily a volunteer-run organization. Recently, we welcomed a new Executive Director and an Administrative Assistant to our team. Volunteers have been crucial to our organization and during the conference, we will recognize our volunteers. As we do every year, we will hold our annual membership meeting. This session will feature our annual report, discussions about committee functions, and an exploration of goals and ideas for the organization’s future, including your opportunity to vote for the slate of new officers.

Saturday Afternoon Panel and Discussions

Saturday afternoon will feature a panel and discussion session focused on our main priorities. Topics include updates on the management plan for Honey Creek Preserve, the significance of grassland birds, and the role our Buena Vista property plays in the management of grassland birds in Wisconsin. You are also invited to enjoy the reception, cash bar, the new library exchange, and the silent auction.

Keynote Speaker

On Saturday night, we are honored to present Laura Erickson as our keynote speaker. Laura brings a wealth of experience as a scientist, teacher, writer, licensed wildlife rehabilitator, blogger, public speaker, photographer, and an expert on American Robins and Whooping Cranes for the Journey North educational website, as well as a Science Editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She is also a past recipient of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology’s Golden Passenger Pigeon Award.

See you there!!

Whatever your reason for attending, please know that you are warmly welcomed. We hope you’ll join us for another enjoyable and inspiring convention!

2026 Convention Field Trips

Friday May 15

Goose Pond Sanctuary/Erstad Prairie/Schoeneberg Marsh
Mark Martin will lead a relaxing and rewarding visit to Goose Pond Sanctuary, a beautiful Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance property in Arlington, WI.

Mark and his wife, Susan Foote-Martin, have served as resident land managers since 1979. Mark has played a key role in land acquisition, education, citizen science, and habitat restoration, helping shape Goose Pond into the thriving sanctuary it is today.
Afterward, you’re welcome to stick around and enjoy lunch on the boardwalk—just be sure to bring your own lunch if you’d like to stay — or you can head back toward Madison at your convenience.

Keep an eye out for standout species like Black Tern, Trumpeter Swan, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Ruddy Duck, Redhead, and Western Meadowlark, along with many other prairie and marsh birds. It’s sure to be a wonderful morning outdoors!
Note - Bathrooms are available at the beginning of the trip.

If you would like to learn about the property before your visit: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/310ed5a7f0aa4a54a9fc36fc4e5122d8

Lake Kegonsa State Park and Hoyt Park
Join board member Melissa Kesling for a morning of birding at a few of her favorite hotspots in and around Madison. We’ll begin at Lake Kegonsa State Park, where we’ll search for spring migrants such as vireos, warblers, and thrushes, along with marsh and forest species.

Notes - a state park pass is required to enter the park. Restrooms available on site.

Later in the morning we will visit Hoyt Park in Madison to continue the morning’s adventure keeping an eye out for more spring migrants, including vireos, warblers, and thrushes. Scarlet Tanager and both species of orioles will be our target species.

Note - Restrooms available on site.

Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area
Bill Volkert, former naturalist and wildlife educator at Horicon Marsh, will be leading you on a tour of this fantastic wildlife refuge. Bill worked as the naturalist and wildlife educator for Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources at Horicon Marsh for 27 years, where he conducted more than 3,700 education programs for over 220,000 people. We are very lucky to have him as the leader of this trip. Special birds you'll be looking for include Trumpeter Swan, Whooping Crane, various waterfowl, herons and egrets with the possibility of American and Least Bittern, Black and Forster’s tern, Yellow-headed Blackbird, possibly a variety of shorebirds depending on water levels, and abundant songbirds.

Saturday May 16

UW-Madison Arboretum
Chuck Henrikson and Melissa Kesling will lead this walk through Curtis Prairie to look for prairie species. After that we will go over to the boardwalks and then over to the Big Springs. We will travel through Longernecker gardens on our way back to the parking lot.
In Curtis Prairie and Curtis Pond we might find Sandhill Crane, American Woodcock, Wilson’s Snipe, Merlin, and Willow Flycatcher. Longenecker Gardens has nesting Tree Swallow, Eastern Bluebird, Brown Thrasher, and Purple Finch.

Wingra Woods, Big Spring, Gallistel Woods, and Icke Boardwalk attract many warblers during migration, as well as breeding Green Heron, Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Great-crested Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo and Scarlet Tanager. The Lost City Forest may yield Great Horned Owl, Broad-winged Hawk, Wood Thrush, and Hooded Warbler. At Grady Tract we will likely find Great Horned Owl, Red-headed Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, Eastern Towhee.

Note - Porta potty available near the parking lot at the Visitor Center

Capital Springs Recreation Area - Hog Island
Shawn Miller will lead this group and travel along the prairie edge until we reach the woods. From there we will travel down to the island and then loop around the drumlin and head over to the back oak forests and then through the prairie back to the lot.

Potential birds include Eastern Kingbird, Sedge Wren, Scarlet Tanager, and Eastern Bluebird. Once in the woods, we will listen for warblers, Willow Flycatcher and Alder Flycatcher near the small retention pond to the southwest. Hog Island proper has Yellow-billed Cuckoo, occasional Red-Headed Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, and Prothonotary Warbler. Walking along the shore can yield a variety of ducks and herons. The adjacent, drier woods are often productive with several warbler and thrush species. The prairie holds Sedge Wrens, several sparrow species as well as other prairie inhabitants such as tree swallows and meadowlarks.

Note - Restrooms available nearby at the boat ramp parking lot across the street

Cherokee Marsh Natural Resource Area - North
Leaders Caitlyn Schuchhardt, Shaina Stewart, and Cass Warneke from the Feminist Bird Club will lead this walk through the Cherokee Marsh North to look for warblers and other spring migrants. We'll be looking for warblers, vireos, thrushes, and other migratory songbirds. Along the Yahara's edge, we'll scan for gulls, terns, herons, raptors, and other marsh-loving birds. After our out-and-back to the Yahara, we will take another woodland trail as we search for more warblers before heading out onto the prairie and marsh to find sparrows, wrens, swallows, and bluebirds. Birds can include Virginia Rail, Sora, Sedge and Marsh wren, and Swamp Sparrow. We will scan the river for Bald Eagle, Northern Rough-winged and other swallow species. The Oak-Hickory Forest along the Overlook Trail has Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-throated Vireo, Brown Creeper, Scarlet Tanager, and migrating wood-warblers. The forest edges host Black-billed and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. As we bird, we'll be pointing out songs/calls and helpful field marks for the birds we discover together.

Note - Restrooms available on site

Lakeshore Nature Preserve
Nate Shipley and Caleb Frome lead this trip to look for birds on the Lakeshore and woodland trails traverse a variety of habitats; Red-breasted Nuthatch and Pine Warbler can be found in the hardwood forests, Purple Martin, Common Yellowthroat and several sparrows can be found in Biocore Prairie. During peak migrations, several species of warbler are often seen including Bay-breasted, Yellow, American Redstart, Blackburnian, Black and White, Blackpoll, Magnolia, Nashville, Cape May, Prothonotary, and Black-throated Green. Thrushes, sparrows, and vireos are reliable each year, as well as nesting warblers, bluebirds, and Willow and Great Crested Flycatcher. Other notable birds are Yellow and Black-billed Cuckoo, Red-headed Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and nesting Great Horned and Barred Owl.

Note - Rustic bathrooms on site

Nine Springs Natural Area
Jeremy Nance will lead this walk from the parking area to the impoundments, then walk around the perimeter of several impoundments, depending on which ones have water or mud for shorebirds. Nine Springs is one of the best spots for rarities in Dane County, particularly for unusual shorebirds and waterbirds, and is one of the top 10 eBird hotspots in the state. The marsh holds Sora, Virginia Rail, Marsh Wren, Swamp Sparrows, and occasionally American or Least Bitterns. All six species of swallows and martins can often be found during migration feeding over the impoundments. Migrant sparrows encountered along the grassy dike can include Lincoln’s, White-crowned, and Vesper, and rarities such as Lark Sparrow and Harris’s Sparrow have been found in spring. Exposed mud can attract a variety of shorebirds, including less expected species such as American Avocet, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Stilt Sandpiper. Wilson’s and Red-necked Phalaropes, and both Marbled and Hudsonian Godwit are rare but possible. Migrant warblers, flycatchers, and thrushes are often encountered in the thickets around the impoundments. Terns and Gulls often visit the impoundments, including the occasional Franklin’s Gull. Recent spring rarities include Laughing Gull and Western Sandpiper.

Note - Bathrooms are available in the parking area only.

Pheasant Branch Conservancy- Creek Corridor
Leader Pat Ready plans to lead the group along the paved trail in Pheasant Br Conservancy in Middleton. To look for warblers and other passerine migrants along the East and West Creek Corridors via Bock Forest. The two mile creek corridor is probably the best place in the Madison area for spring and fall migration including numerous warbler species like Black-throated Blue, Blackburnian, Connecticut, Prothonotary, Cerulean, Canada, Cape May, Mourning, Blue-winged, Golden-Winged warblers as well as Red-headed Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Carolina Wren, Wood Thrush, orioles, kinglets, grosbeaks, and Scarlet Tanager. Both Barred and Great Horned owl are often spotted in the creek corridor. The trails are wide, used by bikers, joggers, dog walkers and kids. Flat in both directions except for a slight hill as we approach Park St.

Note - No restrooms available on site (local gas station if needed).

Turville Point Conservation Park
Leader Quentin Yoerger plans to walk the dirt paths of Turnville Point. The paths circumnavigate the park and parallel the Lake Monona shoreline. We will also walk many of the paths that bisect the park as we visit the different habitats. The Olin Park / Turville Point eBird hotspot has 217 species reported from this location. The wooded area situated on the shore of Lake Monona creates a small migrant trap in spring and 34 species of warblers have been reported including Worm-eating Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Connecticut Warbler. A fall vagrant Black-throated Gray Warbler was also reported once. Thirteen species of sparrows have been found. Other less common migrants reported include Western Kingbird, White-eyed Vireo, and Summer Tanager. We will also watch for any lingering waterfowl out on Lake Monona.

Note - Restrooms are available in Olin Park which is adjacent to Turville Point

ie Dog Training Grounds
Nate Shipley and Caleb Frome will meet at the parking lot of the dog training grounds. From there we will travel south along the woods/prairie border and then back to the parking lot. They will explore the trail system that heads south out of the parking area. Common prairie and scrub species nest in the area including Yellow-Billed Cuckoo and Willow Flycatcher. This is also Dane County’s most reliable spot for Bell’s Vireo. Most years Yellow-Breasted Chat and Lark Sparrow are found in this area as well. Whippoorwills are often calling at dawn and dusk as well. It is possible to hear or see Red-Shouldered Hawk during spring, summer, and fall.

Note - Porta potty available on site

Sunday May 17

Governor Nelson State Park and Governor’s Island
Melissa Kesling will lead the group through the trails looking for various spring migrants and scope Lake Mendota and then travel to Governor’s Island looking for warblers, flycatchers, and four species of swallows.

Note- A State park sticker required for Governor Nelson State Park. Bathroom available at Governor Nelson State Park, no bathrooms available at Governor’s Island.

Thomson Memorial Prairie and Blue Mounds SP
Quentin Yoerger will take the group through the native and restored grasslands at Thomson Memorial Prairie and through Blue Mounds State Park. Thomson Memorial Prairie is reliable for Upland Sandpiper, Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslow’s Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, Bobolink, and Dickcissel. Western Meadowlark and Northern Bobwhite are found occasionally.

Note - Restrooms available at Blue Mounds State Park.

2026 Convention T-Shirt

2026 WSO Convention shirts are now available for pre-order.

Order here! 

Shirts are $16 each (+$3.50 for XXL and XXXL sizes) during the pre-order period. Pre-orders must be submitted by 8 p.m. CST on April 26. Shirt pickup will occur in-person at the convention hotel. Shipping is not available.

We strongly encourage pre-ordering your shirt. A limited amount of shirts will be available for purchase during the convention for $18 each. We cannot guarantee your preferred style or size will be available for in-person purchase during the convention.

This year, shirts are available in 2 styles: unisex (sage color) and ladies cut (pistachio color). The artwork is by Morley Remitz of UW-Green Bay (bio below).   

About the artist

Morley Remitz is a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay studying Environmental Science & Policy. Her thesis research focuses on the ecology of long-jawed orb-weavers. She also assists with monitoring anuran and bird populations for the Cofrin Center for Biodiversity and curatorial assistance for the Richter Museum of Natural History.

Morley grew up creating art in Green Bay and has long been inspired by wildlife, especially birds. When she is not in class, in the field, or bird-watching, she enjoys experimenting with illustrations, digital art, and writing poetry. Her career goals focus on conserving and protecting native wildlife populations for future generations.

Thank you for sharing your creativity with us, Morley!!

Registration and Fees

WSO Annual Convention registration includes all field trips, Saturday afternoon activities, Saturday banquet dinner, and keynote. The Friday WSO Awards Dinner* is available for an additional fee.

*Registration for those who wish to attend the Friday Awards Dinner only does not include field trips or Saturday events and activities.

If you have questions about the convention and its activities, contact convention organizer Steve Holzman: vicepresident@wsobirds.org

With questions about registration and payment, contact WSO membership: membership@wsobirds.org